4X Explorminate's Top 10 4X games of all time

[RayF]

It's a pretty thoughtful list and demonstrates the challenge of limiting the list to 10 even in such a niche genre. It's easy to argue that every game on the list deserves to be there while simultaneously getting outraged about a game that was snubbed.

Text: https://explorminate.co/our-top-ten-4x-games-of-all-time-list/

 

[Jvegi]

Gothic is better.

 

[Alfgart]

I was about to rage post after seeing MoO2 below Fallen Enchantress and GalCiv, but putting Distant Worlds at #1 and MoO in #2 is good enough to forgive that error

 

[flyingjohn]

Master of Orion 2 beneath fallen enchantress.
Galactic spreadsheet simulator even on that list.
Sword of the stars? The barely 4x game.
What is this list?

No 2: is moo1/remnants.
Ohhhh,now i see.

 

[[UCHIHA]XxDarkSasuke420xX]

hype ive been waiting for gamer eXplorimninate's epic 4x list
poggers!
hope he has a patreon

 

[sser]

Can't say I agree much with the list, but I always enjoy watching these. As far as a video goes they could use to tone down the over-production. Lots of loud music and segues.

edit: everyone finishing up the vid at the same time apparently

 

[RayF]

Master of Orion 2 beneath fallen enchantress.
Galactic spreadsheet simulator even on that list.
Sword of the stars? The barely 4x game.
What is this list?

No 2: is moo1/remnants.
Ohhhh,now i see.

I mean, you can think that if you want but it's still a really good list. I obviously would have put MOO1 #1 (my foray with DW didn't go so well) and maybe MOO2 a bit higher on the basis of influence alone. But FE is probably the only title on that list that people want to toss off in favor of their favorite game that didn't make the list

 

[RayF]

Gothic is better.

Man, I sure wish someone would make some sort of Cthulhu 4X game.

 

[commie]

It's a good list and really, the order here and there is subjective. I like most of these but for different reasons so I'm fine with one being 'higher' than another or vice versa. I get something different from Distant Worlds than MoO, and I get something else from Gal Civ than MoO so I couldn't really rate one over another. FE is pretty good though. I personally would get rid of the Civ games as my autism can't handle the lack of historical accuracy at all in it and add some other games too, but it's a good enough effort regardless of the edgelording.

 

[luj1]

MoO2 @ 10th place
SMAC @ 5th place



Even a 4X layman can see how retarded this list is.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Even if there were only 10 4X in existence, I really don't think one of the six (five? seven? eight?) iterations of Elemental should be on a top 10 list.

 

[JarlFrank]

Not a bad list tbh, although I'd toss out GalCiv2. I tried that several times but it always felt very boring and generic, like Master of Orion with half the gameplay elements stripped out and all the flavor sucked off.

Yes, even Elemental is better than GalCiv2.

 

[Joggerino]

Nice list i guess.. It's unfortunate that even though DW has a shit ton of resources most of them are so abundant that you never have to worry about them. Does anyone think DW 2 is gonna cost over 100$?

 

[RayF]

Not a bad list tbh, although I'd toss out GalCiv2. I tried that several times but it always felt very boring and generic, like Master of Orion with half the gameplay elements stripped out and all the flavor sucked off.

Yes, even Elemental is better than GalCiv2.

I bounced off GC2 pretty hard as well when I tried it, but supposedly the DLCs that I didn't try made it a lot better

 

[adddeed]

# 1 Should be Imperium Galactica 2.
Still no other 4X can beat it.

 

[Galdred]

Not a bad list tbh, although I'd toss out GalCiv2. I tried that several times but it always felt very boring and generic, like Master of Orion with half the gameplay elements stripped out and all the flavor sucked off.

Yes, even Elemental is better than GalCiv2.

I bounced off GC2 pretty hard as well when I tried it, but supposedly the DLCs that I didn't try made it a lot better

Grats for making it on the list!
Having all 3 of the "Master of" games makes up for all the complains I could have.
MoO is clearly the superior Master of Orion btw.

 

[razvedchiki]

distand worlds deserves its first place, only cargo cultists and various retards desperate for attention say otherwise.

 

[RayF]

distand worlds deserves its first place, only cargo cultists and various retards desperate for attention say otherwise.

I agree. If there's only one objective truth we can all agree on, it's what the best video game is.

 

[Raghar]

distand worlds deserves its first place, only cargo cultists and various retards desperate for attention say otherwise.

Well IG2 allows ground battles, allows planetary antispace installations on a planetary surface, and it's playable game with decent difficulty.

So if distant worlds would be freeware, it would be fine, author probably didn't have time to create special ship design screens without windows widgets and with decent interface.

Distant worlds did one thing right, automation of transport ships. Rest of it is kinda meh without proper artistic expression.

 

[Joggerino]

Stardrive is probably a better game then distant worlds. Much better ship design, technology tree, better UI etc. DW has more automation options and you can change your government type. The 200 resources are basically a gimmick.

 

[Raghar]

Birth of the Federation is decent game, it has very nice tactical simulatenous combat. Another nice game is Space empires 4 (and possibly 5).

 

[Grotesque]

I can't stand space games that have the understanding of astronomy (scale and looks) at the level of a 5 year old.

 

[ScrotumBroth]

Glad to see Endless Legend, it blew my mind when it came out. What article didn't mention is absolutely superb soundtrack, completely customized per faction, per terrain type, per city... I've never experienced such a perfect blend before.

Look forward to trying some other titles, awesome list!

 

[Norfleet]

I can't stand space games that have the understanding of astronomy (scale and looks) at the level of a 5 year old.

4Xes don't typically aim to be realistic simulations of space, or really, any simulation of space. Space is just the excuse setting in which you paint maps.

If a game actually tried to capture the terrible secret of space, it would probably fail to actually function as a 4X wargame as it would turn out there is nothing to fight over and nobody to fight with, and also, it's your great^N grandchildren that will be doing any of that fighting, if they still care to by the time they get there, and remember who it is and what it is they were supposed to fight over.

 

[RayF]

I can't stand space games that have the understanding of astronomy (scale and looks) at the level of a 5 year old.

There is no game that can capture astronomical scale.